The room was filled frenetic but quiet activity, clothes, books and other items quickly packed. D'miyah sighed, raising a weary hand to cover her eyes. She then began to ascend the delicate spiral stairs to the next level. The clear pillar the stairs surrounded were filled with swirling colour, blending and twisting as she passed, spreading iridescent colour over the bronze and copper scales around her eyes. D'miyah ignored the now common sight of the transparent column, as she rose through the tower rooms and entered the top level, the mingled smells of blood and incense reached her nose. The circular room was almost barren, with empty shelves and bare tables throughout. The light let through the windowed walls shone harshly into the empty room, as D'miyah walked around until she reached the only area that looked inhabited.

Standing in a series of intricately carved and painted circles was a short man, hands above his head and silvery hair damply clinging to head and neck. The tender undersides of his raised arms had bleeding cuts on them, drops of blood standing out brightly against the pale skin and green scales. The sounds of a quiet chant reached D'miyah's ears as she walked closer falling silent with a flash of light and the crack of his hands meeting. The lines on the ground glowed for a few seconds then faded.

“We are almost ready to leave, H’soka.” D'miyah said, walking past the circles to a crib sitting over near the wall. She saw that the baby was sleeping peacefully and some of the tension melted from her shoulders as she turned back to face H'soka. He walked over to a cluttered table near and began to treat the wounds on his arms before speaking.

“That is good, the elementals have almost all left already,” he said back, stepping closer to her. D’miyah frowned and started to say something then stopped.

“I had noticed,” she finally said instead stroking carefully along the baby’s head. H’soka placed a clawed hand onto her shoulder and, after a moment, she placed her hand over his.

“I know you want to take K’yoshi with you,” H’soka said after a moment,” I want you to take him with you, but the geas...”

“Why did your family agree to it? All it has done is make the situation more difficult now,” D’miyah responded turning to face H’soka.

“It has its benefits and my people wanted to make sure this place would be protected. So you cannot take him with you. It would be pulling at him as soon as he could walk, driving him here or mad. He needs time to train so he can deal with the magic flow safely.”

“I know,” D’miyah snapped, then continued more quietly, “I know.”

“Then let’s enjoy what time we have left, I need rest and so do you before you leave.”

She left the next morning, travelling away from the approaching dust cloud, only speaking when needed to direct the group. Leaving H’soka behind, leaving their son in the arms of the water elemental Katsia, had been the hardest thing she had ever done. Even knowing that the Elemental Lords would be taking care of her son was small comfort and as for H’soka... No, little comfort was to be had. The group travelled carefully, carrying their belongings and information for how the tribes were to deal with the enemy left. D’miyah also had other instructions, ones she was going to need for her son in the future. They reached a slight rise in the rock and sand around them shortly before noon.

“This is far enough, so settle down and get comfortable. This might take a while.” D'miyah directed the group set up some shade and to settle into hidden positions to watch the Tower and the encroaching army. It took only minutes to conceal themselves, even with conversation kept to a minimum. They watched the Ahmarian army slowly drew closer to the shining tower of the World Spring. The tension grew palpable as the distance shrunk, but the group stayed quiet and still. Near sunset D’miyah could see scouts exploring the base of the Tower , though none had entered. The sky began to shift to red with the sinking sun as the rest of the army followed.

The rest of the army began to settle around the base of the tower, the shifting colours highlighting their movements. Only moments after they began to settle a bright white light shone from the tower. The beam of luminous beam pulsed, still for a few moments. Then, as the soldiers noticed, it spread to the earth in a curtain of iridescent light. The curtian swung 'round slicing a swath through the closest people. The heat created a blast of wind, obscuring the tower in a veil of sand save for the blade of light. The clearing dust showed a growing lake of molten glass and clouds of steam blown by blasting winds as water barrels exploded. A few people broke free from shock, most fleeing but a few small groups of mages started throwing up shields. As the spreading radience touched their defences it they just disappeared, those distant enough to not be enveloped and disintegrated, withering and dying, leaving streaks of colour to flow up the glow. It was obvious that the deaths were producing magic that was sucked up into the tower itself. As more and more flowed into the light it slowed, the stopped. A few moments passed, then the beam snapped back into the tower, shining so bright it hurt the eyes, before shooting upwards leaving the tower itself dark.

The light spread across the dark sky in a lattice work of rainbow colours, which soon began to rain down, turning the dark sand into a field of stars. The army formations finally disintegrated, fleeing , some small groups sticking together, but most simply ran, attacking any that stood in their path, leaving trampled bodies in their wake. Pack animals and the injured wandered around overturned wagons, dropped supplies and other wreckage that surrounded the now cooling, but still glowing lake of smooth glass.

D'miyah imagined she could hear the cries of the fallen from here, carried by the constant winds of the desert. One of the flecks of light landed on her hand, she stared at it feeling sick, knowing many had died tor this enchantment.. After a moment, as the speck faded, she took a deep breath and began to count the remaining soldiers.

“Looks like about a third were killed,” said the voice of her second in command beside D’miyah.

“Looks like,” D’miyah said back, then shook her head,” the rest won’t be too far behind I would imagine. Not without water or food.” She spent a moment to watch the chaos before her, spread around the now dark Tower of the World Spring, then sighed.

“They aren’t going to get organised any time soon if ever, let’s get out of here. It’s done.”